Photos: Upcycled fashion with Junk Kouture

I was invited recently to take some snaps of a local school’s Junk Kouture entries. Open to secondary schools all over the country the competition brief is simple: create an awe-inspiring outfit with nothing but recycled materials. Easier said than done. Finding aesthetically pleasing, malleable, and most importantly free, materials in sufficient quantities can be a serious challenge – I know this from experience.

Despite this, kids from all over the country have managed to create fun and fantastical looks that make my little creative heart sing. This is the schools winning entry. A brightly hued, glitter-coated plastic bottle and origami ensemble that is a mix of a Japanese Gyaru girl, Marie Antoinette and the Little Mermaid, just a few of my favourite things – and clearly the judges’ too.